Static Driver Verifier

04/20/2017

2 minutes to read

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In this article

Purpose

Static Driver Verifier (also known as "StaticDV" or "SDV") is a static verification tool that systematically analyzes the source code of Windows kernel-mode drivers. SDV is a compile time tool that is capable of discovering defects and design issues in a driver. Based on a set of interface rules and a model of the operating system, SDV determines whether the driver correctly interacts with the Windows operating system kernel.

Visual Studio Integration

Static Driver Verifier is integrated into Visual Studio. You can run static analysis on your Visual Studio driver project. You can launch, configure, and control Static Driver Verifier from the Driver menu in Visual Studio.

Microsoft uses SDV to test the kernel-mode drivers that are included with the Microsoft Windows operating system and to test the sample drivers in the WDK. Prior to the release of Windows 8, Microsoft used SDV to find and fix 127 potentially critical bugs.

By using the DDI compliance rules for specific driver models, SDV can verify correct driver behavior. For example, SDV can verify that the driver:

Calls functions at the correct IRQL

Acquires and releases locks in the correct sequence

Correctly uses functions that handle I/O request packets (IRP)

SDV examines all possible paths through the driver code. It is designed to find serious errors in obscure paths that are unlikely to be encountered even in thorough testing.

Resources

For specific information about the drivers that SDV can verify, see Supported Drivers.

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